Page 142 of Daddies' Holiday Toy

He exhales sharply, like I just confirmed every worst thought in his head. “What. It. You. Liam.”

“It doesn’tmatter, Carson.”

And then, without warning, his hand comes up.

It happens fast, too fast for me to react in time, which is exactly what Carson is banking on.

His shoulder turns like he’s about to point or jab at me, but at the last second I realize it’s got too much momentum.

I recognize it for what it is half a second before it lands.

He slams his fist into the side of my face, nearly knocking me over. I catch his wrist mid-arc for the next impact.

“Don’t,” I grind out, blood already pooling in my mouth.

“Dad!” Holly screams.

It makes him pause, but only for a second.

His eyes widen as he looks past me toward her, and I canfeelthe incredulousness rolling off him.

He yanks his hand away from mine. “You’re defendinghim?”

“I’m defending myself!” she fires back.

Her hands slam down on the counter so hard the pen holder next to the register jumps.

“You can’t just storm in here and start a damn fight! You’re not a fucking teenager in the scrap yard!”

He actually laughs.

It’s a sharp, and bitter sound that echoes too loud in the small space. “You think I’m just gonna sit around and listen to howmyfriendsfucked you? Your mom told me all about what these sick, nasty perverts did. I’m not about to let them defile my baby girl and get away with it.”

“I’m not a kid!” she snaps. “I’m a damn adult, I can do what I want!”

That sets something off in him immediately.

“No, you’re not. You’re a grown woman making stupid decisions. Fucking my friends. What the hell were youthinking?They’re twice your age!”

Her bottom lip trembles.

I step forward, angling my body between them.

“Carson, you need to leave.”

He swings at me again. “Like hell I do.”

This time, it’s not aiming for my face.

It’s to shove me out of the way. His palm slams into my chest, the force driving me back a step.

Mallory’s moving toward us then, brandishing her cellphone and waving it in the air like it’ll be enough to grab Carson’s attention.

“Hey! You better knock it off or I’m calling the cops!”

But Carson’s already squaring up again, the veins in his neck standing out.

“I swear to God, if it’s your baby, Liam, I’m going to fucking kill you?—”